Barcelona midfielder not ready to give up on quest of gaining more prominence with Spain

Barcelona midfielder not ready to give up on quest of gaining more prominence with Spain Spain might have advanced to the knockout stages after finish first in their group. But La Roja is far from their usual best and are clearly not clicking offensively. One of the players who has struggled to make an impact is Gavi. The Barcelona midfielder was a surprise last-minute pick by Luis de la Fuente, but one that was much deserved. Gavi, after all, was one of Barcelona’s most in-form players during the final stretch of the campaign. But in the World Cup so far, his impact has been minimal, except for the opening match . Gavi is not losing hope As reported by Mundo Deportivo , despite his limited involvement, Gavi is not giving up his fight for more minutes as Spain progresses through the tournament. Gavi did not feature after the Cape Verde game. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) The Spanish press looked surprised when De la Fuente named him in the starting eleven for the opening match against Cape Verde, deployed as a left winger wearing the number nine. Gavi marked his second World Cup with a typically energetic display, finishing as the player with the most direct pressures in the game with eight. However, those words have not translated into game time. Since playing 71 minutes against Cape Verde, Gavi has not featured again, leaving him behind only young striker Hamza Abdelkarim in the ranking of minutes played by Barcelona players at the tournament. Gavi could return vs Austria Will Gavi return to the fold vs Austria? (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) With Spain now in the knockout stages, opportunities for the squad’s less frequent starters are likely to become scarcer. However, a chance may be opening up for Gavi. Both Yeremy Pino and Nico Williams are set to be unavailable for Thursday’s Round of 32 clash against Austria, which could pave the way for Gavi to return to the fold. The Barcelona midfielder, eager to keep demonstrating his quality on the biggest stage, is determined not to let any opportunity pass him by. De la Fuente, though, does have other options at his disposal, including Gavi’s Barcelona teammate Dani Olmo, who appears to be Spain’s best bet as they look to find the right formula in the attack.